Australia: FAIMS Archaeological Data Science

Summer 2018

Pushing the Field School Envelope

Dr. Ran Boytner, August 31st, 2017

Academics

What we do.

ABOUT US

Project Description

Overview

Did you think all the archaeological fun ends when you come home from the field? No way! Welcome to the next stage, the archaeological data camp. Located in the heart of Sydney, Australia, we specialize in excavating, cleaning, streamlining, and making sense of archaeological data, using advanced technology. You can learn this craft in four intense weeks and become the data scientist who will own the 21st century. Come have fun with real data, real ugly data, from a real project and help make it beautiful. Pick up some tricks and make yourself indispensable to your next archaeological employer.

Instructors

The directors welcome emails and inquiries about the research elements of this project. More general information (tuition, health insurance, and payment schedule) can be found under the ‘Students’ tab above. Any further questions may be addressed to IFR staff. Additional details about research, course schedule, travel, accommodation, and safety can be found on the syllabus. Contacting the directors or the IFR office is encouraged and appreciated. It may help you determine if this field school is a good fit for you.

Dr. Shawn RossMacquarie University

Dr. Adela Sobotkova Macquarie University

Dr. Brian Ballsun-Stanton Macquarie University

Dr. Petra Janouchova Macquarie University

Testimonials

This is a new IFR field schools. There are no student testimonials available at this time.

Tuition Includes:

$4,425

Costs of instruction

Cost of Academic Credits

Room & board

All local transportation

Health Insurance

Student Fees

A nonrefundable deposit of $500 is required to secure a seat in this program. This program requires an application (no application fee is requested). Only accepted students should pay the deposit fee. Deposit fee is part of the program Tuition. The remaining tuition, minus the $500 deposit, must be paid prior to the tuition deadline (see above under “Course Details”).

Important Note: If you were accepted to this program but did not cancel your participation by the tuition payment deadline, you are legally responsible for the full tuition regardless of attendance in this program. Please read the IFR Cancellation Policy for further clarification.

A 2.5% Processing Fee is automatically assessed for all credit/debit card payments

A $100 Late Fee will be assessed if full tuition payment is not completed by the deadline.

Look at the field school syllabus above for room & board details.

Accommodations

Students attending this field school will be housed at the Robert Menzies College, which offers a private room (but shared single gender bathrooms). Three meals per day are provided on weekdays; one meal per day (brunch) on weekends. All student rooms at RMC are single rooms, allowing you to create your own space by bringing a little bit of home with you. Every room has: Bed, Wardrobe, Desk, Chair, Bookcase, Pinboard, Fan, Heater, Phone, and Internet connection. There is also a nearby (200m) mall with an extensive food court.

Check in is after 2.00pm on th the day of arrival. Check out is before 10.00am on the day of departure.

Let us know as soon as possible if you have any dietary requirements.

Travel Info

Students must use either a Macquarie Airport Pickup or Sydney Mass Transit to journey to Macquarie University. Macquarie provides comprehensive instructions for incoming international students covering travel preparation and the journey itself. We recommend following all instructions provided; you may want to save or print a copy (especially the ‘On Your Arrival’ section).

Otherwise, you will need to travel to Macquarie University by using public transit. To take public transit, buy an OPAL card at the Sydney Airport International Station, take a train to Central on the T2 line (Platform 1) then go to the Macquarie University station via the T1 line to Hornsby (Platform 16) Make sure that you see Macquarie University displayed on the train before boarding since multiple routes are labelled ‘T1’, and only (approximately) every other train runs to the university. We recommend loading the app called “TripView” on your phones before departing, as it can find the best public transport routes for you (and the paid version remembers your planned trips).

Robert Menzies College, where you will be staying, is an easy 100 m walk from the train station.

If you missed your connection or your flight is delayed, please call, text, or email one of the project directors immediately. A local emergency cell phone number will be provided to all enrolled students.

Student Safety

Student safety is paramount for the IFR. Unlike many universities who are self-insured, the IFR purchases a range of high end insurance policies from some of the largest insurers in the world. Students in all our international programs have a comprehensive health insurance policy. It covers sickness, and chronic and mental health conditions at 100% of the cost. We have a strong evacuation and extraction policy. We can remove students from any location anywhere in the world with one phone call – whether medical evacuation, political or natural disaster extraction and anything in between. We purchase intelligence services from a global private provider and monitor the world 24/7. We automatically enroll our students to the US State Department STEP program. All of our students receive safety orientations both before and on the first day of each program. Our faculty have all been working in the areas where we operate field schools for years. They are intimately familiar with local customs and traditions, know the landscape well and have deep relationships with local communities.

All our domestic programs are coordinated with local authorities which are informed of our operations. Students in domestic programs are covered by their own health insurance and evacuations are managed by local emergency services, as appropriate.

The IFR has strong, explicit and robust policy towards discrimination and harassment in the field (click here for a shortcut). If students feel they cannot discuss personal safety issues with the field school staff, the IFR operates an emergency hotline where students can contact IFR personnel directly.

Travel does involve risk, but we try to minimize this risk as much as possible. Call us at 877-839-4374 or email us at info@ifrglobal.org if you have questions about the safety of particular programs.